Killer Instinct 3: ‘Microsoft wasn’t interested’, says ex-Rare dev

Killer Instinct 3 was on Rare’s radar, but was blocked by Microsoft after it acquired the company, an ex-staffer has revealed.

Speaking with Not Enough Shaders, ex-Rare modeller Donnchadh Murphy discussed what game he would have liked to have made while at the studio, “Probably the same game every Rare fan wants to see and that’s Killer Instinct. We all wanted to make KI3, but Microsoft [was] more interested in broadening their demographic than making another fighting game. So it never got made, I doubt it ever will.”

ON Microsoft’s relationship with Rare, Murphy said, “Personally I don’t think it was a great mix. At first it seemed that they wouldn’t interfere much, but it was soon clear that they were more interested in using Rare to help aim at a younger market. This stifled a lot of creativity, Rare was renowned for their diverse portfolio, so to not be involved in making Mature games was a real blow.”